Francis Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites
Saturday, May 25, 10:00AM
Run time 3:09/one intermission
(Act I 89/Intermission 30/Act II 72)
World Premiere: Teatro alla Scala, Milan, 1957. One of the most successful operas of the later decades of the 20th century, Dialogues des Carmélites is a rare case of a modern work that is equally esteemed by audiences and experts. The opera focuses on a young member of an order of Carmelite nuns, the aristocratic Blanche de la Force, who must overcome a pathological timidity in order to answer her life’s calling. The score reflects key aspects of its composer’s personality: Francis Poulenc was an urbane Parisian with a profound mystical dimension, and the opera addresses both the characters’ internal lives and their external realities.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads the classic John Dexter production of Poulenc’s devastating story of faith and martyrdom. Mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard sings the touching role of Blanche and soprano Karita Mattila, a legend in her own time, returns to the Met as the Prioress.
Adult/Senior $21 ♦ Student $11
Sponsored locally by The Wayland Henry Cato Jr. Foundation with additional support from the Christine Gempp Love Foundation, the Thickman Family Foundation, Susan Scott Heyneman, Isabel Wallop, Lollie Benz Plank, and Dr. Victor & Janet Ashear
